Best & Worst

As some of you reading this know, one of my favorite activities is asking the question "What was the best & worst parts of your day?" It is quite a popular discussion at the McDonald family dinner table. Using that theme, I decided to list just a few of the best parts of Tonga and the worst parts of Tonga. As an extra treat, there is a video at the end of the Mailefihi tent at sports day. Enjoy!

Best:
-making pizza with friends
-beach dance parties
-learning Tongan legends
-reading in my hammock
-school spirit
-singing in the church choir
-piano lessons
-Mailefihi sports
-care packages from home
-listening to Tongans play guitar

Worst:
-students playing recorders in the room next to my classroom
-cold showers
-ants
-being asked to serve kava every weekend
-sunburn
-not always being able to understand the language
-sweating
-roosters
-washing laundry by hand
-dogs coming in my house
-cats coming in my house
-pigs coming in my house

Safe and Sound

Thanks to everyone for all the prayers and concerns during the recent earthquake and tsunami. Tonga was under a warning for the tsunami, but fortunately it did not hit our islands. My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Japan as they continue the rescue and clean-up efforts.

Island Hopping

The past two weekends I have been very fortunate in being able to travel to two of the outer islands, Eu'eiki and Matamaka. To get to the outer islands, Tongans travel in small motor boats. Armed with my Peace Corps issued life jacket, I gladly take these boats out to islands that offer gorgeous scenery, relaxation, and lots of adventures.

The first island, Eu'eiki, is home to a resort that is

open from about May to September. During our weekend there we played volleyball, swam, walked the beach, and napped. Some people were more adventurous than me and went kayaking and fishing. Regardless, it was a fun weekend for everyone and a nice break from work now that school is starting to get busy.

The other island that I visited is Matamaka, where one of my fellow Peace Corps volunteers, Farfum, lives. His village is tiny, not even 100 people live there. Also, he lives in a house without electricity and running water. Visiting him certainly made me appreciate my house! However, his island is a beautiful and peaceful place, and I was very happy to be able to experience how he lives. Here are just a couple more pics from his island...enjoy!